Multiple refrigerating apparatus.



E. C. LOETSCHER. MULTIPLE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9.1915.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. C. LOETSCHER. MULTIPLE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1915- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

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EMTL CfLOETSCHER, F DUB'UQ'UE, IOWA.

MULTIPLE nnnnrennarrne nrrnnntrus.

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I 7 mm Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 17, 1211?.

Application fllec'l April 9, 1915. Serial No. 20,128.

To all whom itmay camera:

Be it known that I, Elan. G. LoE'rscHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of 'Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Multiple RefrigeratingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The refrigerating apparatus herein shown is only a part of arefrigerating system since the particular point of novelty of theinvention to be herein described resides in Fig. 2 is a view similartoFig. 1 showing aslightly modified arrangement of parts.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 wherein three refrigerating membersare shown.

Fig. 4 is' a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a further modification.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational View of my improved refrigerating apparatusparts in section.

Referring now more particularly'to the drawing, the refrigerators l0 and11 may be of any desired form and are herein shown a as one locatedabove the other, to illustrate the fact that the refrigeratorlO may beupon the first floor of-a building and the refrigerator 11 may be uponthe fifth floor of a building or, in fact, at any point in the buildingabove the refrigerator 10. "The refrigerating member 12 for therefrigerator. 10 and the refri crating member 13 for the iave heretoforebeen moreparticularly described in my application for refrigerator, 11

improvements 1n refrigerating" apparatus filed March 24,1915,Sr.*No.H16,55l.an need not be herein further described. Y

The refrigerating member 12 comprises a chamber 14 similar to thechamber 15 in the refri crating member 13. r The pipe 16 leadsto t erectifying coil of a refrigerating machine of the absorption type. Thepipe with 17 leads to the condensing member of the refrlgeratingmachine. The coil 18 is submerged in a brine-tank 19 and both of itsends are in communication with the chamber 14. The function of the coilis to evaporate the refrigerant in the refrigerating member 12. I

The coil 20 submerged in the brine-tank 21 performs the same function asthe coil 18. A pipe 22, having a relatively small inter1or diameter, isconnected to the chamber 14, preferably near the bottom thereof, and tothe chamber 15 preferably near the top thereof. A pipe 23 is connectedto pipe 16 at one end and has-its other end terminating within thechamber 15. The refrigeratlng systems, which the apparatus hereinspecifically identified is adapted to form part of, comprise 5) agenerator-absorber 46, which is provided with a vapor conveying member47 that extends upwardly from .the generator-absorber and is then bentupon itself with its discharge end entering the equalizing member 48. Anabsorption pipe 49 disposed near the bottom of the generatonabsorber isconnected to the equalizing member by the extension pipe 50, the upperend of the extension pipe projecting beyond the lower end of thevapor-conveying member 47 so as to form an overflow pipe for the liquidin the equalizing member.

A rectifying coil 51 has one end in communication with the equalizingchamber 48 with .the coils thereof located within the condensing tank52. Within the generator-- absorber is a cooling coil 53 the upper endof which is located in thecondensing tank at a point slightly below thehighest everflow level. A check valve 54 is located in the upwardlyextending portion of the cooling coil 53.

A cooling medium, such as water, is supplied to tank 52 by means of awater supply pipe 55 The condensing chamber 56 is provided with a singleinlet and-outlet communicating member 5'? that forms part. of

the pipe 17, while the rectifying coil 15 is connected to pipe 16.Thermostatic means are employed for intermittently applying and shuttingoff the heating agent, designated as a whole by the numeral 58 andherein shown as electrically operated through the medium of theelectrical energy received pressure compared with the pressure in thegenerator-absorber when the same is heated. As a consequence of thereduction in pressure, the liquid within the condenser of therefrigerating apparatus is transferred into the refrigerating member,filling 1t to the level as indicated at (A). The pipe 22, opening intothe chamber'14 at a point near the bottom thereof, is also filled withrefrigerant to approximately the same level as the level of therefrigerant within the chamber 14.

The refrigerant now evaporates in the chamber 14 and also in the pipe22. As the pipe 22 is of comparatively small diameter, the liquidtherein will form alternate layers or slugs of liquid andevaporated'refrigerant. Under this evaporating influence the slugs ofliquid will rise in the pipe 22, being impelled forward partially by theforce of the liquid pressure in the chamber 14, which is greater thanthe pressure of the alternate layers or slugs of liquid and gas in thepipe 22, and partially by the expansive force of the evaporatingrefrigerant itself, until a portion of the liquid is deposited in thechamber 15.

v -This recess is continued as long as there is any liquid in thechamber 14, and of such a height as to surround the lower end of thepipe 22. As the pipe 23 is, in communication with the pipe 16, thepressure within the chamber 15 is practically the same as within thechamber 14 and the refrigerant in each of these chambers will evaporate1n proportion to the amount of heat introduced through the coils 18 and20.

In the apparatus shown, in Fig. 2, the parts bearlng reference numeralscorresponding to the reference numerals applied to Fig. 1,performsimilar functions.

The chambers 14 and 15 in this modification are in communication witheach other through the medium of the pipe 22 which is so connected tothe chamber 14 that a portion of the refrigerant therein will flow tothe chamber 15 by gravity,- instead of being forced upward through thepipe 22 as heretofore described. In this arrangement however, it isnecessary to have the chamber 15 at a lower level than the chamber 14 sothat a gravity flow will be obtained. Subsequent evaporation in bothrefrigerating members 1 takes place as heretofore described. In Fig. 3 Ihave shown a system wherein two or more refrigerating members may beconnected to a single machine.

The refrigerating members or chambers 24, 25 and 26 are similar infunction and operation to the chambers 14 and 15 within therefrigerating members 12 and 13. The pipe 16 which is connected to therectifying coil of the refrigerating apparatus, enters the chamber 26,terminating at the level in- (licated at (e). The pipe 16 has one endterminating Within the chamber 26 near the top wall and its other endprojecting-into the chamber 25, terminating at the level indicated atf). The pipe 16 has one end terminating within the chamber 25 near thetop wall and its other end entering the chamber 24 and terminating atthe level indicated at (9).

During the generating process the anhy drous gas passes through the pipe16 into chamber 26, thence through the pipe 16 into the chamber'25 andthence through the pipe 16 into the chamber 24 and finally into thecondensing member of the refrigerating machine through the pipe 17.

When the absorber of the apparatus is cooled, the pressure in pipe 16 isreduced causing a corresponding reduction in pressure in therefrigerating member 26, the

pipe 16, refrigerating member 25, the pipe 16 and refrigerating member24. As a result of this reduction in pressure the liquid from thecondenser is transferred through the pipe 17 into the refrigeratingmember or chamber 24 filling it to the level as indicated at (a). Sincepipe 16 is the only outlet for the liquid within the chamber 24, and asthe pressure within this chamber is greater than the pressure within thetube 16", all of the liquid in the chamber 24 above the lower end of thetube 16, is forced upward into said tube and deposited in the chamber25, filling it to the level indicated at (15). The liquid thus depositedin the chamber 25 will be transferred to the chamber 26 and into as manychambers thereafter as the system may be provided with, assuming, ofcourse, j that there is a suflicient amount of refrigerant within theapparatus to fill the various chambersto the proper gavel in order toobtain the necessary over- When these chambers have been filled withliquid, as described, the process of evaporation and refrigerationcontinues until all of the liquid therein has been evaporated.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a system of connecting one or more; refrigeratingmembers with a refrigerating machine using expansion valves for eachrefrigerating member.

The refrigerating coils 27 and '28 are connected to the chambers 29 and29. These naaaeaa chambers 29' and 29 are in communication with the pipe16 that leads to the rectifier of the refrigerating apparatus. One endof each coil 27 and 28 is enlarged as indicated at 30 and 30 forreceiving floats 31 and 31. The upper ends of said floats are provided.with wires 32 and 32 respectively. The pipes 33 and 33 are incommunication with the chambers 29 and 29 respectively and their upperends carry expansion valves 34 and 34 The expansion valve 34 comprisesan outer casing 35, a cap 36, a filtering medium 37, preferably ofporous stone, and a ball check valve 38. The expansion valves 34 and 34are each provided with a partition 39 and each partition is providedwith an orifice 39 in axial alinement with the wires 32 and 32* carriedby the floats 31 and 31*. The function of each wire is to restrict theflow of the refrigerant through the orifices 39?, when the coils 27 and28 are filled to a certain level, whereby when the flow of refrigerantis checked, expansion of the gases will take place within the coils. Thepipe 40 serves as the communicating means between the valve 34 and thepipe 17. The pipe 17 is in direct communication with the expansion valve34.

An. extension pipe 41 is connected to the pipe 17 and partiallysurrounding the lower end thereof is a thermostatic member 42, one endof which is secured to the pipe 41 and its free end moves into and outof contact with the contact point 43. The wires 44 and 45 connect thethermostatic member to the electrical circuit employed in refrigeratingapparatus such as shown and described in my application, Serial Number16,551 of the series of 1915.

- Theoperation of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 4, is as follows:Assumingthat the process of generation is going on, the gas passes fromthe rectifier through the pipe 16'- into the chambers 29 and 29*. Fromthese chambers itpasses up through the tubes 33 and 33 through thevalves 34 and 34 and whereupon the wires 32 and 32? will enter thenceinto the pipe 17 to the condenser, at which point the refrigerant gas iscondensed to a liquid.

Now assuming that the process of generation has been terminated and theabsorption process has begun, the liquid in the condenser is forced intothe pipe 17 and through the valves 34 and 34 into the chambers 29 and29*, thus filling the refrigerating coils 27 and 28. As soon as therefrigerating coils are filled, thefloats 31 and 31 will rise,

the orifices 39 and thus restrict the flow: of

the refrigerant. As the" refrigerant evaporates the coils '27 and 28,the floats will fall and thus a constant level of refrigerant in thecoils 27 and 28 will be maintained until all of the refrigerant in thecondenser passed through the temperature causes the thermostatic memberto move toward the contact point 34 until it strikes the same, thusclosingthe electric circuit and starting another cycle of operation. Itis, of course, desirable to place the pipe 41 with its thermostaticmember at a point substantially midway between any two refrigeratingcoils of the system so that the thermostatic member will not be affectedby either refrigerating member, and will thus start a new cycle ofoperation when both refrigerating members are in substantially the samecondition.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1 In refrigerating apparatus of the ab sorption type comprising agenerator-absorber and a condenser, the; combination therewith of a mainrefrigerating member, means for introducing a refrigerant into said mainrefrigerating member under .generator pressure, an auxiliaryrefrigerating member, communicatingv means between said main andauxiliary refrigerating members,'means for conveying the refrigerant tosaid auxiliary refrigerating member under reduced pressure andcommunicating means between said auxiliary communicating means and saidreduced pressure communicating means.

2. In refrigerating apparatus of the absorption type comprising agenerator-absorber and a condenser, the combination B ll bers havingdifferent pressures, a plurality of refrigerant members one of which isdirectly connected to the high pressure come municating member andcommunicating means between said refrigerant member and the low pressurecommunicating member.

3. In refrigerating a paratus of the absorption type and provi ed with ageneratorabsorber and a condenser, the combination therewith of a mainrefrigerating member and an auxiliary refrigerating member, a highpressure refrigerating distributing member connected to said mainrefrigerating member and a connection between said main refrigeratingmember and said auxiliary refrigerating member, said auxiliaryrefrigerating member being in communication with the absorber of theapparatus.

ber and an auxiliary refrigerating member, a high pressure refrigeratingdistributing member connected to said main refrigerating member and aconnection between said main refrigerating member and said auxiliaryrefrigerating member, said auxiliary refrigerating member being incommunication with the generator-absorber of the apparatus and saidcommunicating member between said auxiliary and main refrigeratingmembers extending into said main refriger.

ating member and below the normal level of the liquid therein.

5. In refrigerating apparatus of the ab- 15 sorption type comprising agenerator-absorber and ,a condenser, the combination therewith of a lowpressure and a high pressure refrigerant distributingmembers,communicating means between said members for conveying a refrigerantmaterial to the same, and thermostatic means connected-to saidcommunicating means between said distributing members, and operated bythe temperature of the refrigerant in said communieating means.

EMIL C. LOETSCHER.

W'itnesses J. \V. LOETSCHER, E. S. LACI-INER.

